This is basically a re-write of a story I submitted last summer under a different pen name called 'In the Morning'. I was looking back on it and it's so terrible I can't even stand to read it, but it did have some good parts to it. So I took it and now I'm re-writing it. A few of the chapters are staying basically the same, but so far 1-6 have been completely deleted and are being re-written. It's going to be much better this time around and I'm going to follow through with my plans for a second and third one as well, which I already have some rough drafts and outlines for. So, I'm going to be busy with that for awhile. I hope you guys like the story, and for those of you who read the other one, forget that one and remember this one please! Now I'll shut up finally so you can enjoy.
Disclaimer: Nope..don't own Buffy. Joss does.
Chapter 1
The New Big-Bad
What was a "normal" day to the Scoobies? Well, there really was no "normal" day for them. Every time they thought things had died down on the demon-front, something new popped up. The days usually started with Buffy, Willow, Tara, and Dawn making breakfast, but even that proved false sometimes. But the one thing that almost always held true was, when the sun set, Buffy went patrolling. Sometimes Spike even joined her. Not that Buffy was overly pleased that Spike would show up out of nowhere and annoy her for the rest of the night, but sometimes he was actually helpful so she didn't say too much to him.
On this particular day everything went fairly smoothly, except for Dawn insisting that Buffy let her skip school just because she had a sore throat. You see, there was going to be a Scoobie meeting while Dawn was in school and she didn't want to miss it. Buffy, however, didn't give in and after a long argument, a reluctant Dawn went to school, slamming the door behind her.
Dawn really didn't miss anything though. The meeting was pointless, as nothing had been going on lately.
"Wonder what's up with them," Buffy said, more to herself than anyone else in Giles' apartment that afternoon, the other Scoobie's scattered around the room.
"Wonder what's up with who?" Anya asked.
"Them. The vampires, the demons. Where are they?" Buffy said.
"Well, you've been patrolling at night. Haven't you been slaying vamps?" Xander asked, who was sitting on the edge of the couch. Anya was standing beside him.
"Well, yeah, but not many. I don't know...Something just feels off. I mean, what are they up to? Whenever we're not hearing much from them it's usually because they're planning something or some new 'big bad's' in town and they're scared of it. Take you pick. All I know is something's coming."
"I have to agree. That usually seems to be the case," Giles said, who was sitting at the table, books stacked all over it as usual.
"Hey, no one was disagreeing with Buffy. We all know that this silence is just the eye of the hurricane. We just want to know what's coming," Xander said.
"Well, wouldn't that be strong winds and severe damage?" Anya asked.
"Yes, if you take my analogy literally, but you're not supposed to," Xander told her, sounding annoyed.
"Well, sorry if I don't understand you're analogy-speak. What the hell's an analogy anyway? Sounds stupid." Anya said, also starting to sound annoyed and crossed her arms.
"Guys..." Tara tried to break in, unsuccessful.
"You use them all the time, Anya. You just don't know it," Xander told her.
"Well, it would be nice if you'd tell me when I use one," Anya said, and Xander rolled his eyes and was about to say something else when Willow broke in.
"Ok, not to break up the couple-quarrel here, but can we get back to what we were talking about?" Willow asked, finally speaking up from her spot at the table with Giles, Tara standing behind her. Xander and Anya didn't say anything, and they continued their discussion.
Later that night back at the Summers' household, Buffy came downstairs, grabbed her jacket, told Dawn, Willow, and Tara that she'd be back in a little while, and left the house. She headed toward the cemetery to patrol, rather hoping she didn't run into Spike tonight as she was actually in a good mood and would rather keep it that way and not add annoyed into the mix.
Yet again, not many vamps or demons appeared to be around. She slayed one vamp that had just risen and another that was apparently just out looking for dinner.
Buffy just walked around, waiting for something to pop up. She passed Spike's crypt but didn't look in to see if he was there. She didn't need his help tonight, as nothing was going on, and was enjoying the quite way too much to ruin it just now with Spike's unnecessary sarcasm.
She walked on awhile longer and still no sign of anything. She was just about to go home when she heard something behind her. Buffy spun around, her stake raised, only to find Spike standing there.
"Whoa!" Spike said, throwing his hands up in the air defensively. "Easy there, slayer. You could kill me with thing."
"And explain to me how that would be a bad thing," Buffy said sarcastically, lowering her stake. She turned around and started walking in the other direction. So much for keeping annoyed out of my diet tonight, Buffy thought to herself.
"Oh, come on, slayer!" Spike called after her. "Don't you want to have a spot of violence before you go runnin' home?"
"Kinda hard when there's nothing to kill," Buffy called back, then turned and faced him. "Unless you want me to kill you?"
"What d'ya mean? It's the cemetery. There's got to be loads of vamps just running around waiting to be killed."
"Not lately," Buffy told him. "Haven't you heard? All the baddies have taken a vacation."
"Oh, really? And why's that?" Spike asked.
"Don't know. They've just disappeared. Probably cooking up some 'evil plan' that I'll have to foil, as usual."
"Uh-huh..." Spike said, staring at her, sounding both uninterested and somehow amused.
"Why are you here, Spike?" Buffy asked, trying to keep calm.
"Already told you. Wanted to kick some un-dead ass."
"Want me to kick yours?"
Spike smirked at her, but before he had a chance to say anything else, Buffy saw a rather large and purple demon coming up behind him. It was terribly ugly, it's face grotesque and looking like it had been in one too many fights. It was strong, though, much bigger than even Buffy and Spike put together and was carrying a club. He wasn't too quick, though.
"Spike, move!" Buffy shouted at him, rushing forward and pushing him out of the way and confronting the demon, who tried to hit her in the head with his club, but Buffy was too fast for this and ducked to avoid the blow and then kicked him hard in the stomach. The demon staggered backward and Buffy kicked him again and then swung around and kicked him with her other leg, making him double-up. Then she punched him in the face and he staggered backward again.
"Do you need any help?" Spike asked.
"No, Spike, just stay out of the way!" Buffy said, glancing back at him, which was a mistake. The demon in the meantime had gathered himself and was coming toward her for revenge, for he was not happy about her beating him up.
"Buffy, watch out!" Spike yelled.
Buffy spun back around only to see the demon's club coming toward her and the next thing she knew, she was lying on her back on the ground, coughing, for he had hit her in the chest and knocked the wind out of her. She looked up and the demon was coming toward her, but Spike distracted him by punching him hard in the jaw. The demon turned on him and tried to hit him with his club. Spike dodged it.
"Oh, come on. Is that all you got?" Spike asked.
The demon swung its club at Spike again, but this time he didn't miss.
"Spike!" Buffy screamed as Spike flew backward and crashed into a tombstone and slumped to the ground.
The demon turned back to Buffy, a grin on its dis-conformed face. Buffy got up quickly to meet his attack, which was just another swing of his club that Buffy dodged. Then she kicked him hard in the chest and he staggered backward. She kicked the hand that held the club and he lost his grip on it and it flew through the air and landed somewhere near Spike. The demon looked at her in fear.
"Not so tough without your weapon now, are you?" Buffy said. Then laid in on him, punching him several times in the chest, punching him twice on the face, kicking him yet again in the chest, then kicking him in the back of the knee and he fell forward onto his knees.
"We will get you, slayer," the demon said, looking up at her.
"Yeah, that's great. You want to know how many times I've heard that before?" Buffy asked, and in a matter of seconds had placed her hands on the sides of his head and snapped his neck. The demon fell face-forward into the grass, dead.
Buffy looked at him for a second before going over to Spike, still lying by the tombstone and just regaining consciousness.
"You alright?" Buffy asked, holding out her hand to help him up.
Spike took it and got to his feet. "Yeah, I'll be alright." He rubbed the back of his head. "Quite a nice club he had, there. There's some power in that thing, let me tell you."
Buffy went over to where the club was laying on the ground and picked it up.
"You should keep that around. You wouldn't have much trouble winning your battles with that thing," Spike said, walking over to her.
"I'll give it to Giles. It might be able to tell us a little bit about who our new friend is," Buffy said, studying it.
Spike looked over at the demon lying face-down on the grass. "Never seen anything quite like him before. Terribly ugly. What do you think he wanted?"
"Me," Buffy answered simply. "He wanted me."
"And how do you know that, slayer? Can you read minds now?"
"No, he said 'We will get you, slayer' before I killed him, which probably means there are more of him lurking around somewhere."
"Oh, got some new friends in town, do we? Thought you said we were in a demon-drought."
"We were. We're not anymore," Buffy told him. "I'm gonna head on over to Giles. It's best he know about this as soon as possible so he can start figuring out what the new big-bads in town are." Buffy started walking toward Giles.
"Sounds like fun. I'll come with you," Spike said, catching up with her.
"No."
"Why not? I was here when we fought him, wasn't I?" Spike said, stopping. Buffy turned and looked at him.
"You mean when I fought him and you got knocked out," Buffy said.
"You almost got knocked out, and you know it. And I did too fight him! I was trying to keep you from getting crushed, which was obviously a mistake," Spike said, sounding indignant.
Buffy sighed. "Thank you for keeping me from getting crushed."
"Yeah, well you're not welcome."
"Oh, please, Spike, stop acting like a three-year-old and let's go," Buffy said, and turned around and kept walking.
"I don't want to come anymore!" Spike called after her.
"Fine. Then stay here. I don't care," Buffy said, not looking back.
Spike stood there for a minute, just watching her walk away, then started after her.
"Changed your mind?" Buffy asked him as he came up beside her, a small grin on her face.
"No. I'm going back to my crypt," Spike told her.
"Your crypt's that way," Buffy said, pointing back over her shoulder to the left.
"I knew that. I'm taking the long way."
"Sure," Buffy said.
"It's true. And this is my exit," Spike said, stopping and gesturing to his left. "So I'll see you later." He walked off.
Buffy rolled her eyes and kept walking. "I'll never understand him," she said, shaking her head.
R&R please!